Chapter 36: Other Windows XP Resources
What Other Materials Are Available on the Internet? Windows is a popular topic on the Internet. A number of Windows-related Web sites and newsgroups are not connected to or sponsored by Microsoft.
Web Sites These Web sites provide information on a variety of computer-related issues, including Windows:
- CNET.com at http://www.cnet.com Current news on all things related to computers. If you don't see an article on Windows on the home page, click Search.Com and search for Windows XP. CNET searches resources around the Web to locate pages. Click a link to visit the site and view the information.
- Internet Gurus at http://net.gurus.com/winxptcr Our own Web site for readers of the book. As we find useful information about Windows, we'll post it on this Web site.
- Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows at http://www.winsupersite.com FAQs (frequently asked questions and their answers), reviews, and news.
- Windows Guide at http://www.zdnet.com/windows Prints articles on a variety of computer topics, including Windows. To search for an article from PC Magazine, click Search and type Windows XP in the Search box. The most recent articles are listed first.
Information on the Internet changes quickly. To search the Web for other Windows-related information, see "Searching for Web Pages" in Chapter 24.
Usenet Newsgroups Newsgroups are discussion arenas on the Internet. In addition to the newsgroups hosted by Microsoft, many other newsgroups, unaffiliated with Microsoft, discuss Windows topics.
To find newsgroups about Windows, run Outlook Express or your favorite newsreader and search for newsgroups with win in the newsgroup name. Most should be in the comp (computing) hierarchy, but you may find them in the alt or other hierarchies as well.
When you are searching for newsgroups, you can enter as few or as many characters as you like. The more characters you enter, the narrower the search. For example, a search for "Windows" will not show newsgroups with "WinXP" in the title. If you can't find the type of discussion you want in the newsgroups listed on your ISP's news server, use the Web site http://groups.google.com as a resource for newsgroup information. The Google Groups Web site lets you search past newsgroup articles. You can search for newsgroup messages containing a word or phrase, or you can read messages from newsgroups that do not appear on your news server.
As of August 2001, only one newsgroup is dedicated to Windows XP--alt.os.windows-xp. By the time you read this, other newsgroups may have formed. You might want to start at comp.os.ms-windows.winnt.misc, comp.os.ms-windows.winnt.moderated, and comp.os.ms-windows.winnt.setup--these three newsgroups are for Windows NT, but most also include information about Windows 2000 and XP.
Mailing Lists Many mailing lists discuss various versions and aspects of Windows, and Windows XP-specific lists will pop up as people upgrade to the product. To find mailing lists that discuss Windows XP, or e-mail-based "tip-a-day" newsletters with Windows XP tips, go to the Topica Web site at http://www.topica.com and search for "Windows" or "Windows XP." For more information about how to subscribe to and participate in mailing lists, go to the List Gurus Web site at http://lists.gurus.com.
